What will you need? Suggestions for how to prepare your home and family for a new puppy:

Leash, collar or harness ​

NuVet Vitamins (required for the RedTeddy 2 Year Guarantee) Our breeder code for your NuVet vitamins is 25590. You will save 15% if you go on auto order. Although these vitamins are not inexpensive, the Poodle is not a large dog and each container of NuVet Vitamins will last quite a while. These are human-grade and of high quality. We ask you to buy these vitamins for the first two years of your RedTeddy puppy's life to ensure they will grow up strong and healthy.

Wee-wee pads for those who are considering paper training. We suggest that you also buy a wee-wee pad holder. They are only about $18 online, and what they do is hold the pad in place so the pup is less likely to get a hold of the corner and drag the pad all over the room! The holder creates a pee/poo zone off of the floor. We use them here as well. Having a wee-wee pad holder, if you want to go that route, may help house train your puppy faster.

​Small/medium sized crate. It's a good idea to get a medium sized crate that will fit your pup when he/she is full grown. For the puppy period, put a pillow in the back to decrease the space. OK, we know, your dog is eventually going to be warming your toes in your bed at night.. but it's not a good way to start out. To begin house training your puppy, use the crate for overnights and for when you are away for a few hours (no more than 3) during the day.

YOUR PUPPY WILL CRY A LOT - AT FIRST. After all, he or she has ALWAYS had friends and siblings around. He/she will be sad at first and will want to be on your lap or in your bed:You may need to buy earplugs for the first few nights. But your puppy will settle down soon. Especially if he/she goes into the crate at bedtime expecting a treat. Ours get raw chicken or other bones, because we want to increase the amount of bones in their diets and nothing beats something delicious to chew on to keep a puppy from crying!

Treats and bones! The trick with the crate is to make it your dog's castle. To do that, use special treats that are only available in the crate. The down side of using raw bones is that it requires careful cleaning of the crate with a good disinfectant and removing any leftover small bits by hand. You can also buy kongs and fill them with peanut butter, but that won't last as long, and puppies NEED the ingredients in real bones to maintain their health. Warning: Cooked chicken/poultry bones should NEVER be fed to dogs EVER. Raw chicken bones are excellent but cooked chicken bones are dangerous. Cooking makes the bones brittle and easy to splinter. Once inside the intestines, the small splinters CAN KILL YOUR DOG.

Toys! Poodles are curious, active and playful. They love their toys, especially those that help them to interact with YOU-- like balls and frisbees, rope toys, sticks, and stuffed toys that they can toss around, chomp into, and fetch when thrown! They enjoy knowing these toys belong to them, and they will treasure them and keep them in a safe place.

Take care that electric cords are not in an area that the pup can get to and chew. Also, remember that puppies are curious and will try to eat anything, so don't leave Legos and other small toys around for them to swallow. Lastly, people can harbor germs that could negatively affect the puppy, so wash your hands before & after playing with your puppy!

Buy a spray bottle of ODOBAN.ODOBAN is my favorite disinfectant because it is also an enzymatic cleaner that breaks down smelly molecules. If your pup pees on the carpet, you will need an enzymatic cleaner to completely de-smell the area. ODOBAN also has gallon containers of fabric refreshers that can be added to washing machines. This is handy for pet bedding or human bedding mistaken for the great outdoors. Home Depot sells it.

Mild soap for bathing your dog!

We also suggest that all new owners take the time to read the book: Decoding your dog: the ultimate experts explain common dog behaviors and reveal how to prevent or change unwanted onesbefore bringing home the new puppy. This book will explain house training, crate training, and almost all facets of dog ownership. It is written by licensed veterinarians who are also certified dog behaviorists. It is full of common sense, or not so common sense around dogs! By the way, this book debunks many of the long standing myths around dogs and dog ownership, such as the "alpha dog" myth that says owners must be the aggressive "top dog" in the household in order to have a well behaved animal. ​

Good luck! We hope these ideas help you and your family set yourselves up for success!